I love to visit parks and gardens on my travels but I have, for many years, been enjoying the wealth of gardens available for visiting right here in my home town of Boston. Our move 30 years ago up to this area from Washington DC opened up for me a whole world of New England gardening scenes. In the beginning the kids enjoyed coming with me and finding new places to explore big lawns and gorgeous flower beds. In wintertime I reveled in taking them to warm and humid greenhouses filled with fragrance. Our excursions were usually followed by an ice cream cone and so they were always willing traveling companions.
These days my husband or friends are always willing to accompany me on an afternoon trip to a garden. Nearby are the historic greenhouses on the Lyman Estate in Waltham or a pleasant drive takes me to the seaside in Rhode Island where I go once a season at least to the summertime gardens of Blithewold in Bristol.
Over the years of presenting my photo shows of parks in Paris or London, people have asked to know more about what to visit right here in our own area. I have put together my photos to illustrate what a bounty of public garden spaces we enjoy in southern New England. These include my favorites, the ones that I visit each year and in as many seasons as I can.
Boston is blessed with a new urban green paradise – the Rose Kennedy Greenway, cutting right through the city. Already city dwellers and tourists alike are enjoying the greenery and attractions of this serpentine park along the harbor which is making our city a leader in urban parks. A few of the gems this show will transport you to are: a hidden rose garden in the Fenway, a bird watchers paradise filled with specimens of ornamental trees and includes the very special Tower Hill Botanical Garden. My photos present garden visiting opportunities in all seasons and will encourage you to take day trips of exploration right here in our own corner of the world.